Ueno Peony Garden: a Must-see in Tokyo for Flower Lovers
My favorite flowers are peonies, so when I discovered there was a peony garden in Ueno, you can imagine how delighted I was.
The Ueno Toshogu Peony Garden (上野東照宮ぼたん苑) is absolutely stunning, with the biggest peonies I’ve seen in various colors. The Japanese garden has over 500 peony plants of 110 varieties in spring and 160 plants of 40 varieties in winter. The flowers reach full bloom from January to February, from April to May, and from September to November.
For a bit of historical background, the garden was opened in April 1980 on the grounds of Ueno Toshogu Shrine, a shrine dedicated to Prince Ieyasu Tokugawa, to commemorate the friendship between Japan and China. It is said that peonies were introduced to Japan from China in the Nara period (710-794) as a medicinal plant, and its cultivation has flourished since the Edo period (1603-1868).
The peony flower is considered a symbol of bravery, honour and good fortune and for this reason is called "wealthy flower" or "king of flowers”.
A Few Pictures of the Garden
These pictures were taken during the “Spring Peony Festival".
Garden Information
Flowering period of peonies:
“Winter Peony Festival" from the beginning of January to mid-February. In 2025, the garden plans to be open for its annual Wintertime Peony Blossom Festival from 1 January to 24 February from 9:30am to 4:30pm (to be confirmed).
“Spring Peony Festival" from mid-April to mid-May.
"Special Festival Daria Aya Nasu Autumn Garden” from late September to late October
Opening hours: 9am to 5pm
Price: ¥1000 (adult), ¥800 (groups larger than 15 people)
Official website (in Japanese): https://uenobotanen.com/
Garden Location
To Conclude
Every time I visit this place, I am blown away by the beauty and size of the peonies. I recommend this garden without hesitation to all flower lovers. If the time is right, I hope you will add this garden to your travel itinerary or your next visit to Ueno.
If you’re a flower lover like me, be sure to check out my other blog posts on flower spots around Tokyo and Japan.
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